Last week we had a look at the first half of our 22 track soundtrack of songs that made an impact in 2015.
Click here to see part one of The Soundtrack For 2015
Below is the other half of that list. Peep game:
Emtee - Roll Up
We start off this week’s list with SAHHA’s acclaimed song of the year. Emtee, another up and comer who has been straight up scorching the scene recently gave us yoga flames. “I authi yakho ine skorokoro | Kuthen’ coma ngithi molo bo?” Lmao those lines get me every time! Emtee followed this up with a re-up featuring Wiz Kid and AKA just as a testimony of the recognition he’s received from established cats in the game. Big ups Emtee!
Dj Vigilante ft K.O, Maggz, Moozlie, Ma-E & Kid X – PASOP
This song bangs like an anthem if you ask me. Cash Time Fam have given us a theme song that will play in the background as the SA hip hop crusaders come riding down the hills to save you from your boring playlist with a turn up numba. Now I tried my best not to get trapped in the rhetoric of who had the best verse because I don’t think that’s ever the point with joints like these. The stable came forward to give us their sense of identity and its dope.
Dj Speedsta ft Cassper Nyovest, Ricky Rick & Anatii - Special Somebody
The production on this joint can only be described as hellacious, shoutout to Anatii once again. Ima try to keep my bias aside as Speedsta is a fellow Vaal native but ya boy slapped the industry with a burner. Featuring what seems to be the infamous trio of Cassper, Ricky and Anatii, “Special Somebody” is legit a summer anthem. SA hip hop Dj’s are getting their DJ Khaled on with these collaborations and the streets are not mad at all. One random thing I’d like to mention though, is Savanna pushing a BeatsByDre move cos I’m seeing their bottles in ALL of the videos fam!
Cassper Nyovest ft Ricky Rick - Le Mpitse
You’d think at some point Cassper Nyovest would run out of anthems to dish out for us, but nope! What has become clear is that Cass has an ear for what people like to groove to and also what he’ll enjoy performing. Featuring what appears to be his Siamese twin Ricky Rick, we’re being offered here a jam that claims its own spot on your playlist. Beyond turning up at a braai with friends, I can only imagine how crazy it must be to see Cassper perform this song live with his eccentric high octane performance style.
Stilo Magolide - Mr Party
I personally feel that it would have been a crime if this song didn’t make the 2015 soundtrack. Imagine how bland our music scene would be if it weren’t for BoyznBucks!? Stilo Magolide has an offering for us that will be sure to make our playlist eclectic and unique. You can never put this sort of music in a box but then again that is the beauty of it. All you have to understand about it is that it is imperative for groove. Stilo has come a long way from being known just as the fashion dude by the name of “Choc” from CreamCartel.
AKA – Composure
I imagine that this beat is the bell that wails every time an angel is born in the heavens. I imagine that this beat is echoing in the halls of Mount Olympus as Greek mythical gods listen intently to each verse. I don’t have to imagine though that this was one of the hardest songs to drop this year. The funny thing is that this song played out its opposite intended purpose. What was supposed to whet the appetite of consumers in preparation for the drop of the real single, Baddest, Composure ended up taking a life of its own. Beef aside, this song is a confirmed banger. Personally, one of my most favourite joints on the 2015 soundtrack.
Ma-E – uGogo
Ok I know this was a 2014 release but this couldn’t have been left out of our list. I’m not too sure if this song made it as our hood anthem but Ma-E aka ugrootman enkulu aka Eazy Doez It let rip of something that’s endearing, something that’s nostalgic and something we all can understand, no matter your demographic. The entire premise of the song is based on the liberation and emancipation of the youth and their perpetual struggle to host a party when isteady is available. From the hood to the burbs the concept of this song strikes chords and it’s laced on a pretty dope beat. Oh and you couldn’t touch Ma-E’s flow even if you had King Kong’s hands.
Dj Switch ft Tumi, Youngsta & Nasty C - Way It Go
Ok class is in session and now it’s time for a quick lesson on BARS! Of course the professor, Tumi previously from the V, has to lead the proceedings. What seems to be unfathomable in my mind is how dude has remained so consistent throughout the years. Tumi is still holding us down with bars as potent from back in the day. The students put on the yoke of their master and effortlessly showcase what the future of SA hip hop has to look forward to. I’m still yet to hear a Nasty C verse that I am mad at and my first impression of Youngsta is that he should be charged for arson for scorching the beat like that. Shoutout to Dj Switch cos this song bangs!
Da L.E.S ft Ricky Rick - Summer Time
If the name of this joint doesn’t make it obvious that it’s a summer anthem then I don’t know what does. I mean, don’t you see the whole design? What also makes this a great summer anthem is what I think is the purposeful construct of the song that makes it an easy sing along type tune. It’s catchy, light and obviously engineered to blow up the summer charts. I’m not sure if they succeeded in achieving the latter but whenever I hear Ricky singing “BossZonke and the North Goooood” I immediately change gears to bust out a dance move or two. Da L.E.S and Ricky Rick tandemly exchange bars Watch-The-Throne-style and it works. I’d definitely like to see more work from this duo in future.
WTF – Nomusa
Well well well looks like the new young boys in town have made their way on to the 2015 soundtrack list. On my very first listen of this track I had no shadow of a doubt that it would grow to be a banger. I was a little confused however at who exactly were these Rae Sremmurd kinda looking dudes. I was also confused as they had a very distinctive “trap” sound to their music but this seems to be the wave in SA and this song is a shark riding on that wave. The beat first of all doesn’t sound like anything you haven’t heard but its dope. I think what’s most endearing about the track is the lyrics “Nomusa, Nomusa, Nomusa, I won’t fall for your ratchet traps”. I’m sure I’m not just speaking for myself when I say we’ve all had a “Nomusa” whom we had to dodge getting trapped from like the ghosts from the last-number levels of pacman. The melody is perfectly finessed for people to sing along to at any mingle and the song works at any setting.
Anatii ft AKA - The Saga
“Lost a lot of weight just to fit in Balmain | Now I got a new car, new chain”. You probably already know that those lines come from Anatii’s first verse in the song. That first line probably gave herculean type confidence to every chubby dude in the country and just in time for summer too lol. I initially thought the song was mad dope and that the beat was the best thing about the song, until I saw the video. That video is epic! It’s no wonder it won video of the year at the 2015 SAHHAs. Childish squabbles aside, Anatii and AKA came together to give us a quality banger here. Too bad it looks like we won’t be getting any more precious gems from the duo, well not in the foreseeable future anyway.
So that makes rounds up an impressive 2015 soundtrack. I think it’s safe to say that in 2015 SA hip hop flourished, but that’s not to say that it’s peaked on its potential. I have every bit optimistic that 2016 will give us an even more impressive soundtrack judging from the up and comers that we have unearthed.
Moz
